Berry College supplies 98% of its undergraduate students with financial aid, but there are ways to earn more scholarship once students get on campus.

Madelin Ryan, COM 250 Reporter

MOUNT BERRY, Georgia—Berry College gives $32.5 million in institutional aid to students every year.

In March, the Financial Aid Office hosted an awareness week that focused on informing students about how to handle finances and student loans. During this week, the office held a workshop on Free Application for Federal Student Aid workshop. Many scholarship programs use FASFA in determining financial aid distribution so it is important that students handle it correctly.

“Berry is an expensive school but we give a lot of aid and we educate our students about loans very well,” Donna Childres, financial aid counselor, said.

The average loan debt per student at Berry is $23,000, which is far below the national debt average for college students. The school also has a low default rate on loans, sitting 22 percent lower than the national average. This means that students with debt are rarely unable to pay them back.

Any student who has taken out a loan is required to attend exit counseling in which they are educated on how to pay off those loans.

“I think scholarships at Berry are fair because everyone gets something,” Matthew Harry, a sophomore student, said.

For students seeking extra financial aid, there is a page dedicated to scholarship opportunities on the school website: VikingWeb, go to Financial Aid, General Information, and click outside scholarships. There is a 31-page list of outside scholarships that are available to Berry students.

Further, at Berry.edu/aid/, there is a list of steps to take to acquire additional aid for incoming freshmen, returning students, and graduate students.

“Scholarships are easier to find once you get to Berry,” Kassie Jones, Gate of Opportunity Scholar, said. “If you go to Financial Aid after your first year and explain your situation, they will help you.”

The Financial Aid Office is always open to students who are seeking additional aid.

Every year there are openings for scholarships such as Gate, Lettie-Pate Whitehead, and WinShape.

“If a student doesn’t receive one of those scholarships we look at an appeal process for more money,” Childres said. “ Financial aid is complicated, so come to us with any questions you have.”

While college is truly expensive, and debt is a serious concern, students who engage the process and work at scholarships are much more likely to increase their aid and reduce their student debt than those who do not pursue it.